Hey, so I came to Japan one month ago and entered into a contract with iijmio, got a 5GB plan and a SIM card with a phone number. Initially, they rejected me due to some bureaucratic shenanigans with my name (I have 3 names + family name – Apparently that messed up their system). But eventually, things were sorted out and I got my SIM card. Everything worked for about a week — I could send messages, make calls etc etc. — until it suddenly became impossible to send or receive SMS as well as make calls. Mobile Internet still works fine though.
Of course I contacted customer support. But my Japanese is conversational at best, so I relied on deepl. The answer came out a bit cryptic to me and basically reads: „We couldn‘t determine your issue, but it‘s probably your system‘s fault“
I have no idea what to do with that. I’ve also looked through their FAQ, tried taking the card out and putting it back in, deleting the APN profile and readding it. Nothing worked. To put it bluntly: I‘m stranded. Without a working Japanese phone number I cannot get a functioning Japanese bank account or a job. Without those two, I‘ll quite soon be unable to sustain myself. Like, things are genuinely desperate. Please, if anybody has an idea, experience with this or anything they could help me with, tell me
Thank you for your time
12 comments
What plan are you on? Did you sign up for a talk+data plan or data only plan?
Is it possible it’s a phone issue or a physical sim card issue? You might want to check that (i.e. borrowing a friend’s sim just to see if your phone is the problem, or putting your sim card in someone elses’ phone to check if it functions). You should be able to ask for a replacement sim card too (with the same number) although I can’t guarantee it being free.
YMMV but my banks have never called me.
One solution I can think of is to google a handset that works with them and order it off Amazon. Get the cheapest one and pay cash at the conbini. Then you’re fully functional.
I had good luck with Amaho online application for an e-sim. No signup issues, great price, and received the e-sim in minutes by SMS after confirming my iPhone serial number. Data is cheap and so are calls. It’s a subsidiary of Docomo so the backbone is strong and no issues with billing or reception, etc.
Is your phone unlocked to different regions/providers?
I use them. The setup is an absolute nightmare. Didn’t have this issue though mate sorry.
I have iiJmio, but the set up was automatic. It set itself up when the sim was inserted. The phone was purchased through them though
Can you log into the site and confirm the plan?
Any updates for the phone? I assume you restarted it.
What model is the phone?
Is it an iPhone? My wife has issues. There is some download that you have to do and it says it up.
I think it’s [this link](https://www.iijmio.jp/hdd/devices/config.html).
Maybe your phone doesn’t have VoLTE enabled?
Is it possible that there’s a monthly limit on the amount of calls/sms?
Do you have the My Iijmio app? What is it saying over there?
I’m using a Samsung galaxy s22u imported from Korea and I have no problems, aside from lacking the full spectrum signal for 5g here in Japan (I can get some connectivity here and there, though).
Connection speeds can get a bit unreliable depending on location, other than that it’s mostly fine and great price overall. I don’t use it for calls, so I can’t comment on that.